Ruthless
Now comes the part of the middle game
where you become ruthless. Sell your losers, hold your winners, and on positions
that work out well, don’t pyramid until you have a healthy profit cushion and a
fresh, valid set up.
CBL & Associates Properties
(
CBL |
Quote |
Chart |
News |
PowerRating),
one of the earliest breakouts in this rally, failed Tuesday. It does not matter
that the move came on average volume. Sometimes, severe declines occur on
mediocre to low volume because the buyers walk away.
Vital Signs
(
VITL |
Quote |
Chart |
News |
PowerRating), one of my
just ideas before its April 27 breakout, gapped down at the open just below the
April 23 low of the handle of its prior base. Overnight, the company reported
earnings of 48 cents a share in the March 31 second quarter, two cents less than
First Call’s consensus estimate. Here’s a good example why you don’t cheat on
your stops and wait for a stock to bounce and fill the gap. When your stop is
triggered, get out! As an individual trader, your advantage over the
institutions is speed. You don’t have to unload a million shares. You can exit
fast without accelerating a price move against you. But when the time comes to
move, you gotta move!
The new bases setting up appear more
volatile and less nicely rounded out than their predecessors. Don’t let the
relatively easy pickings of recent weeks lead you to over-eagerness in hunting
for new breakout candidates now. Â
In
any new trade, reduce your risk by limiting your position size and setting a
protective price stop where you will sell your new buy or cover your short in
case the market turns against you. For an introduction to combining price stops
with position sizing, see my lesson,
Risky Business.